Woman discovers dog alive 5 months after vet said it was euthanized

A New Jersey woman discovered her dog was alive five months after a veterinarian told her it had been put down, NJ.com reported Tuesday.

Keri Levy and her family brought their 15-year-old miniature pinscher Caesar to Briarwood Veterinary Hospital to be euthanized after a vet told them he had a chronic disease and was at the end of his life, Levy said.

Levy then received a call confirming that Caesar was "at peace."

Five months later, an anonymous tipster phoned the family and informed them their family pet was still alive.

An employee at the hospital had taken the dog home.

Levy immediately called the police and reported her dog stolen.

The vet who had advised his euthanization no longer worked at the hospital.

When Caesar was returned, he was thinner and "in deteriorating health," Levy said.

She took him back to the hospital, where he was euthanized by the vet now in charge.

However, Howell police told NJ.com that "no obvious signs of neglect were apparent."